August 1 Crop Production Forecast

August 16, 2018

Tennessee’s agricultural producers remain optimistic about the 2018 crop year, particularly corn, which is expected to produce a record yield,” said Debra Kenerson, State Statistician.
“We express our sincere gratitude to agricultural producers for making this picture of Tennessee agriculture possible.”

Corn production in Tennessee was forecast at 127 million bushels, up 5 percent from the previous crop. Yield was estimated at 174 bushels per acre, up 3 bushels from the 2017 level. Acres for harvest as grain were estimated at 730,000 acres, up 20,000 acres from 2017. The U.S. corn production was forecast at 14.6 billion bushels, down slightly from
2017. Based on conditions as of August 1, yields are expected to average 178.4 bushels per acre, up 1.8 bushels from 2017. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 81.8
million acres, unchanged from the June forecast but down 1 percent from 2017.

Soybean production for Tennessee was forecast at 84.3 million bushels, an increase of
2 percent from 2017. Yield was estimated at 49.0 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushels from a year ago. Acreage for harvest as beans was estimated at 1.72 million acres, up 60,000 acres from the previous year. U.S. soybean production was forecast at 4.59 billion bushels,
up 4 percent from last year. Based on August 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 51.6 bushels per acre, up 2.5 bushels from last year. Area for harvest is forecast at 88.9
million acres, down a percentage point from 2017.

Tennessee farmers expect to produce 18.6 million bushels of winter wheat during 2018 from 295,000 acres for harvest. The expected crop for 2018 would be down 3 percent from the previous year. Growers expect a yield of 63.0 bushels per acre, down 7.0 bushel from 2017 and unchanged from July. Winter wheat production for the Nation was forecast at
1.19 billion bushels, down 6 percent from 2017. The United States yield is forecast at 47.9 bushels per acre, down 0.1 bushels from last month and down 2.3 bushels from last year. The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 24.8 million acres, down 2
percent from last year.

Tennessee cotton production is projected at 755,000 bales, up 3 percent from last year. Cotton yield is forecast to average 1,050 pounds per acre, up 17 pounds per acre from the previous year. Producers expect to harvest 345,000 acres, up 5,000 acres from 2017.
U.S. cotton production was forecast at 19.2 million bales, down 8 percent from 2017. Yields are forecast to average 911 pounds per acre, up 6 pounds from last year. Harvested acreage is estimated at 10.1 million acres, down 9 percent from the previous year.

Tennessee burley tobacco production was forecast at 15.3 million pounds, down 15
percent from 2017. Yield was projected at 1,700 pounds per acre, up 200 pounds from the 2017 crop. Harvested acreage was estimated at 9,000 acres, down 3,000 acres from last year’s crop. For the burley producing states production was forecast at 133 million pounds, down 17 percent from last year. Burley growers plan to harvest 69,800 acres, down 14
percent from 2017. Yields were expected to average 1,905 pounds per acre, down 72 pounds from last year.

Production of Tennessee dark fire-cured tobacco was forecast at 19.0 million pounds, down 9 percent from the previous year. Tennessee dark air-cured tobacco production was forecast at 3.45 million pounds, down 14 percent from last year.

Tennessee other hay production was forecasted at 4.14 million tons, up 6 percent from last year.